Stock-Risers: 2024 Guards

<span style="font-size: 8pt;"><em>The featured image is of [player_tooltip player_id="177346" first="Olivia" last="Nickerson"] of Twin Lakes High School.</em></span> Monday we released our December rankings update for the Class of 2024. Since it coincides with the midpoint of the 2020-2021 high school season, I felt like it was a great opportunity to highlight five young ladies who have gotten off to nice starts to begin their careers. Below are five guards who are quickly gaining the respect of their teammates and opponents as the season turns toward the home stretch. &nbsp; <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="177322" first="Kenzie" last="Fulks"], 2024, 5-5 PG, Bethesda Christian School</strong></span> With the 2020 graduation of all-everything guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="23094" first="Maddi" last="Fulks"]</strong>, Bethesda opponents probably felt a bit of a relief. In walks Maddi’s younger sister, Kenzie, and as Yogi Berra once said, "it’s deja vu all over again". Kenzie is a strong , skilled, and savvy guard who really understands how to play and how to score the ball at all three levels. She is tough and gritty as well, and she is already a couple of inches taller than her older sister. To start the year, Kenzie is averaging 24.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 4.9 steals per game. Her lowest scoring output this season is 16 points, and she has reached the 30s on a couple of occasions with a season-high of 34 points. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="201873" first="Alli" last="Harness"], 2024, 5-7 PG, Carroll H.S. (Flora)</strong></span> Carroll began the season with an eight-point loss to Kokomo. Fast forward one month, and Carroll is off to a 9-1 start, their best in five years, and Alli has been lights out and a huge part of their success. In that stretch, she has a 41-point game, another game in which she snagged 10 rebounds, a third game where she dished out nine assists, and a fourth contest where she nabbed nine steals. She is literally doing a lot of everything for the Cougars. She is quick/fast, shifty, and great with the ball. She can also really shoot it, with range well-beyond the arc. Through 10 games, Alli is averaging 22.7 points, 6.4 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 4.0 steals per game. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="176408" first="Lauren" last="Klem"], 2024, 5-0 PG, Franklin Community H.S.</strong></span> Franklin is another school that has had quite the resurgence this season, rattling off 11 straight wins to enter Christmas undefeated and ranked #11 in the state, according to the latest IBCA poll. One big reason for that is the littlest player on the floor. Lauren has helped change the culture around the Grizzly Cubs, as they are seemingly knocking down 3-pointers at will from every position on the floor. Lauren is almost exclusively doing it from the outside, as she is just 3-7 inside of 20-feet, but she's 38-90 from behind the arc for a cool 42%. She is averaging 12.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game. She has good speed/quickness and is very feisty at both ends of the floor. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="177346" first="Olivia" last="Nickerson"], 2024, 5-6 CG, Twin Lakes H.S.</strong></span> Olivia caught the high school world's attention on her opening night, scoring 42 points, which included burying 16-20 free throw attempts on the evening. The combo guard is strong-for-her-size, she has a nice, natural feel for the game, and she can really shoot it from the perimeter when she has her rhythm. And if you think the 42 points was an anomaly, think again, as she's had additional games of 34 points in early December, plus a pair of 30-point efforts just this Monday (12/21) and last night (12/23). In fact, she made a personal-best nine 3-pointers last night. On the season, Olivia is averaging 25.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 3.4 steals per game. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="177359" first="Adrianne" last="Tolen"], 2024, 5-8 CG, West Lafayette H.S.</strong></span> Adrianne probably hasn't received as much attention as those above, but she has produced nearly each time out this Winter, and she does it in all facets of the game. She has good height, length, and she's a solid all-around athlete. She acts as the primary ball-handler for the Red Devils, but she can make shots off the ball as well, plus she rebounds her position and defends different types of perimeter players. In mid-November, she nearly pulled off the improbable quadruple-double, scoring 18 points, grabbing 10 rebounds, handing out 10 assists, and collecting seven steals. So far, she has posted averages of 16.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 4.1 steals per game.